What sets us apart from other local preschools?

A WORLD CLASS Method:

The mind forgets, but the heart always remembers!

— Unknown

At BKI, we do not assume what your child may like to learn. We simply uncover your child’s interests and then follow them to wherever they may lead us! BKI truly believes that “The mind forgets, but the heart always remembers!” Every day our efforts focus on understanding your child’s heart, their ongoing needs and desires, and how these can be expressed in a multitude of different ways. At BKI we learn through Play, not “Work”. It's not hard to imagine your child consistently benefiting from such experiences, and we would encourage you to consider, given such an environment, just what sort of person you think they may they grow up to be?

We draw our inspiration and methods from the Reggio Emilia Approach, which has recently become fully recognised and is now fully recommended by many of the world’s leading experts in childcare. Bilingual Kids International Preschool was initially one of the first Reggio inspired schools in Tokyo, (we think most probably the first). Our office is located inside Chuo Park, while Main Campus is situated nearby at Sakai.

As the very sanctity of childhood is coming under increasing downward pressure for more academic subjects and testing in preschools and kindergartens, BKI is one of the few local schools bucking this trend. Testing of English proficiency and developmental growth is unobtrusive and is kept to a minimum. Indoor and outdoor play is fostered and play based activities are fully encouraged. We visit the great outdoors almost every day!

In the past, education has typically focused on the development of "Left Brain" thinking. This is the logical, analytical and objective thinking pattern of many people currently occupied in todays workforce. As the world has become saturated from decades of encouraging left brain thinking, the world now has an ever increasing need for more creative, innovative and socially adept individuals. This increasing need has called for a greater focus on Right brain development and educators around the world are responding.

While currently most local schools are still focused on the development of “left brain” dominance (second grade mathematics in kindergarten? Really!!?) , at BKI we believe that the need for this way of schooling is increasingly losing its importance for large parts of society. You may be shocked to learn that many people in present day fields of employment, the architects, accountants, lawyers, analysts, geologists, engineers and computer programmers- the knowledge workers- who were brought up by this past era of education are now increasingly facing the problem of outsourcing, their work being done by computers and cheap educated labour. Outsourcing of this kind of work has huge implications for our children. Its already happening and the rate of change is building at a staggering pace. This rapid change in all areas of life and society have led us, and many others, to believe that the future will now belong to the more creative “Right brain” thinkers, those who bring play into their work and by doing so excel at creative and critical thinking, the inventors, teachers, designers and entrepreneurs.

Our exclusive Reggio system, used to facilitate and bring together all the aspects of the Reggio Emilia Approach, was developed by associates with over 40 years of experience in the Reggio method.

Want to learn more deeply about our line of thinking? Please view our TED video on OUR SCHOOL page.

So what else sets us apart?

Environment:

GREAT LOCATION

Some local schools will keep children indoors all day. This is not because they want to, but because of their undesirable location. Students of early learning and child psychologists (and in fact most people) will tell you that this can be very damaging to a child’s development both mentally and physically. Developing children need balance in all areas of their young lives. BKI students are priviliged to have access to some of the best nature and play parks in Tokyo. With no less than 9 great play parks to choose from BKI offers a variety of refreshing outdoor environments coupled with the warmth and security of a cozy home like environment.

HIGH GRADE FACILITIES

"For many years BKI operated out of an old Japanese building. Although we were never content, especially as professional owners, we used to always worry and fret about when the next big one would hit. Now, as 2018 is predicted to be a time of increased seismic activity, we feel that we have done exceedingly well in providing our valued customers a newer, more robust facility which will better protect them and their loved ones..."

Earthquakes are totally unpredictable. So it goes without saying that the wise will always be well prepared. Since the construction of our brand new facility in January 2017, thankfully those worry filled days for us have passed. We used an AWARD WINNING company for the design and construction of our new facility and as such we can now sleep well at night, knowing that our customers also have full peace of mind. Adding to this, BKI'S facilities are clean and hygienic and are all owned by the company so there is no uncompromising middle man to come between the school and its customers. As such you can rest assured that we will be still around when you need us most.

A QUALIFIED AND PROFESSIONAL TEAM :

BKI has a total of ten members on staff.

All of our teachers have had prior training in the field of Early Childhood, whether it be in Child Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Music or other related fields. All teachers are fully trained in CPR, AED and first aid techniques. At least 70% of our regular staff are fully Qualified Kindergarten Teachers with a minimum of three to four years of Early Childhood Pedagogical study behind them. Adding to this most of these staff have a further six years of practical experience in child care. It is crucial that qualified staff are there for your child so that they are able to detect any abnormalities that may occur in the course of your child’s development. It is vitally important that such problems can be appropriately dealt with at an early stage. 90% of our teachers are native English speakers from countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States. Bilingual Japanese staff are also on hand.

Probably the most important question you can ask at your new school interview is, “Are the owners, and management, all Qualified Professionals?" Be warned- It is a regrettable truth that there are amateurs in the market.We say this out of all sincerity because in times of emergency, developmental problems or great need, you're going to be glad you have the right people on the job. Are amateurs cheaper than BKI? Most likely, but the next two questions you need to ask yourself are this: Would you really be willing to face those consequences? What is your child's wellbeing, safety and education really worth to you?

At BKI we are not fumbling about in the dark, we know precisely what we are doing and why. As the owners alone have more than 30 years of Qualified Professional experience between them you can be sure there are no regrets at BKI.

PROVEN ENGLISH ABSORPTION: (GUARANTEED RESULTS)

Some schools will build a fancy great castle in the sky, others will sing and dance to attract their customers, but do these schools actually produce real English language results? Please don't get caught up in such self indulgence, after all this is about your child's overall development. If you are growing tired and frustrated at spending a great deal of your time, energy and money with no, or little English to show for it, please come on over and pay us a visit, we would love to show you proven evidence of our exceptional English language results.

BKI offers the best opportunity for learning English, in a 100% English learning environment. With native English speaking staff and the highest ratio of International students in the Musashino area. This means that your child will absorb more English through play and conversation with their English speaking friends than at Japanese-only schools.

At your interview, please ask to see our EIKEN Test results for yourself! The Japanese EIKEN Test has been used for the past fifty years and is Japan’s most popular and widely administered English qualification test. This is used by employers and agencies, nationwide and internationally, as evidence of English proficiency. It is also used for admissions and course credit at over 2,500 high schools, colleges, and universities throughout Japan.

BKI MORNING PROGRAM (Kindergarten-aged Children) EIKEN TEST RESULTS: Many of the Japanese children in our Reggio Morning Program who take the Junior EIKEN (JIDO EIKEN) GOLD LEVEL Test (the highest of all levels) score over 80%, with some students scoring 100% .

BKI AFTERNOON PROGRAM (Elementary School-aged Children) EIKEN TEST RESULTS: This program focuses on spelling, vocabulary, grammar and reading. Students in this program are able to do the regular EIKEN Test this is the ADULT EIKEN Test. Some second and third grade Japanese students in this program are passing EIKEN Level 3 and some third and fourth grade Japanese children are passing EIKEN Level Pre-2. Also, we have had fifth and sixth grade students pass EIKEN Level 2.

After 15 years of professional service BKI now has a solid track record and we are very proud of our results!

EXCEptional VALUE, MAKES TUITION AFFORDABLE:

So what is your child's wellbeing and education really worth? If you are like most people you will be looking for true value. Part of our mission statement and business model is to be high quality at low rates. How do we achieved this? Our efforts are simple, we create the highest possible value for our customers and then we cut our profits to the bone. Over the years we have successfully served hundreds of satisfied customers.We believe that our rates are exceptional value for the educational environment that we have on offer. To find out more please visit our “Tuition” section.